University of Alabama releases 2017 football schedule

The following is a press release from the University of Alabama Athletics Communications Department:

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 2016 Alabama football schedule was finalized Tuesday and includes seven games at Bryant-Denny Stadium plus a neutral-site game against Florida State and four Southeastern Conference road games.

The Crimson Tide opens the season against Florida State on Sept. 2 in what will be the first regular season college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. It marks the fifth consecutive year Alabama has opened the season with a neutral-site game and the fifth time in the Nick Saban era that the Tide has opened the season in Atlanta.

In league play, the Tide will host Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU while traveling to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Auburn next season.

The Crimson Tide also host three non-conference games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, including Fresno State (Sept. 9), Colorado State (Sept. 16) and Mercer (Nov. 18).

Alabama opens league play at Vanderbilt on Sept. 23 and then opens the SEC home slate on Sept. 30 against Ole Miss, which begins a run of four straight games against SEC competition before an open date on October 28. Alabama will play at Texas A&M (Oct. 7), and host Arkansas (Oct. 14) and Tennessee (Oct. 21) before the bye week. The Tide travels to LSU on Nov. 4 and Mississippi State (Nov. 11) before hosting Mercer. The 2017 regular season closes out with a trip to Auburn on Nov. 25.

The 2017 SEC Championship Game is slated for Saturday, Dec. 2, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File). FILE - In this Monday, Sept. 12, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles...

With its popularity threatened and critics stretching all the way to the White House, the NFL tries to get past the debate over taking a knee during the national anthem but seems to muddle the issue even more.

With its popularity threatened and critics stretching all the way to the White House, the NFL tries to get past the debate over taking a knee during the national anthem but seems to muddle the issue even more.